The heavy oak door of the study clicked shut behind Hadrian, the sound echoing in the quiet room and making Hermi flinch.
She had been brought back to the Manor Marubio as a captive in all but name. Downstairs, Achille, Ettore, and Curzio were being held in the Great Hall, under the watch of fifty knights.
Outside this very room, another ten Silver Knights stood guard. Hermi wondered if the manor still belonged to her, or if it had been fully colonized by Hadrian's men.
At the very least, the walk back to the estate had allowed her a moment to breathe. The initial shock of facing Hadrian again had begun to fade, or perhaps she had simply forced it into a dark corner of her mind.
She knew there was no way to survive Hadrian's insanity, if she allowed herself to lose her own sanity.
